AAMA Opens Membership to Retailers - Brief Article

The American Apparel Manufacturers Association (AAMA) has opened its membership to retailers in response to the increasing blurring of the distinctions between retailers and manufacturers of apparel and sewn products.

Following a landmark vote to accept retailers as members this past January, AAMA chairman Jim Jacobsen, who also is vice chairman of Kellwood Co., pointed out that retailers are sourcing production directly from international contractors and manufacturers are selling clothes directly over the Internet. Such "recent trends [ldots] have increased our common interests in areas such as trade, technology and regulatory compliance," he said.

The decision breaks a 66-year tradition that limited AAMA membership to manufacturers, their subsidiaries and industry suppliers. The latter have a separate group within AAMA known as the Associate Member Congress (AMC). Now retailers may apply for membership in the AAMA under a special "Retailer Members" category. In addition to participating on any AAMA committees or councils, retailer members may elect a designee who will have full voting rights on the AAMA's board of directors.

The AAMA's vote to allow retail members follows similar movements by retail associations to allow manufacturers, or vendors, as members. (See "NRF, IMRA Bring Apparel Leaders on Board," Bobbin, August 1999.)

Robin Lanier, senior vice president of industry affairs for the International Mass Retail Association (IMRA), noted that the AAMA's decision "makes a whole lot of sense [ldots] in that retailers and suppliers are getting closer together in trying to work out supply chain issues.

"If I were a large retailer doing a lot of business with a wide variety of apparel manufacturers, it might be worthwhile to sit on a technology committee," she stressed.

Lanier also noted that the change in the AAMA's position has some "huge" ramifications in terms of government affairs, and gives vertically integrated retailers, "who care a great deal about textile policy," the opportunity to influence the association's political point of view or stance.

As she put it: "We've already seen AAMA changing its tune on trade policy issues. There was a time when the association walked in lockstep with the American Textile Manufacturers Institute. They were like a protectionist juggernaut. That has changed quite a bit on the CBI bill. I wouldn't say retailers and manufacturers are entirely on the same page. But I think they're at least in the same book, maybe even in the same chapter."

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